Space Force will require ‘legislation and a lot of detail planning,’ says Mattis

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis informed reporters at the Pentagon that work on the creation of the new service “Space Force” has not yet begun.

The Space Force is the potential new military service to the Defense Department that Trump ordered the Pentagon to build two days earlier.

“[The Space Force], as you know, is going to require legislation and a lot of detail planning that we have not yet begun,” said Secretary Mattis.

The creation of a Space Force, which will only begin if Congress can be persuaded to amend Title 10 of the United States Code, will likely take years as details such as the price and timeline of the new service are worked out. Only a very small part of the military budget is related to space.

Mattis is aware of how much discussion needs to take place over this potential new service.

RELATED

Trump wants a Space Force. Now what?

How do you build a new military service from scratch?

By Valerie Insinna

“We clearly have got to start the process, and that’s one of the issues that we’ll bring up on Friday morning as well with national security adviser [John] Bolton,” Mattis said.

Mattis did not publicly offer his personal opinion on the idea of a potential Space Force.

More In Space

New US Space Force jammers aim to disrupt China’s SATCOM signals

The Remote Modular Terminals, which disrupt adversary satellites by "yelling in their ear," as one official put it, are cleared for initial fielding,

Space Force must grow to counter China and Russia, lawmaker says

House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said the service is not sized to meet increasing threats from China and Russia.

SpaceX launches rapid response GPS mission

The effort, dubbed Rapid Response Trailblazer, was meant to demonstrate the ability to quickly plan and launch a mission in around six months.

Space Command strategy aims to boost commercial role in operations

The updated strategy, approved in November, focuses on SPACECOM’s core tasks and how commercial space capabilities fit within those areas.

ULA eyes annual mods to turn rocket stage into space interceptor

The fast-moving vehicle would be highly maneuverable and could be used to tow satellites or for counterspace missions, ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters.